Rural Georgia residents are voting early at a higher rate than those living in Democratic-leaning counties that were key to President Biden turning the state blue in 2020, according to the latest data.
Former President Donald Trump won the top 23 counties in absentee and early voting in 2020 out of the state's 159 counties, according to the state's elections website.
This includes rural counties such as Towns, Oconee and Rabun, where 69.06%, 65.51% and 64.46% of eligible voters, respectively, have already cast ballots.
Voters in Towns County outperformed the average early voting rate in Georgia counties by about 15%, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Rural counties won by former President Donald Trump in 2020 have historically outperformed blue-hued states in terms of early voting population. (Getty Images)
This includes suburban, blue-leaning Cobb and Gwinnett counties, as well as Democratic stronghold Fulton County, home to Atlanta.
Of Fulton County's eligible voters, 53.51% voted by Election Day.
Georgia has broken early voting records since early voting began on October 15th. On Wednesday night, state officials announced that more than half of the state's total eligible voters had already cast their votes.
According to projections, turnout in some rural areas that supported Mr. Trump is already approaching total turnout in 2020.
But the counties in metro Atlanta that voted for Biden are much larger than rural areas with higher turnout.
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Counties won by President Biden in 2020 lag behind rural areas in early voting turnout, but still overwhelmingly outnumber red-leaning areas. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Seneta)
About 385,000 Fulton County voters cast early votes, followed by Gwinnett County with 275,207 and Cobb County with 271,426.
By contrast, just under 7,000 Towns County residents voted in person during Georgia's early voting period, which ended Friday, Nov. 1.
Either way, the surge in early voting in Georgia's rural areas may indicate that Mr. Trump and the Republican Party's efforts to drum up enthusiasm among his base have been successful.
It could also change perceptions about how analysts and forecasters interpret turnout. Traditionally, early voting has strongly favored Democrats, while a surge in Election Day voters could help Republicans.
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Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have both poured significant money into Georgia. (Getty Images)
Dave Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report noted in X that early turnout in some rural red counties in Georgia is on track to match total turnout. But he said that's not necessarily an indicator of who will win.
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“Places like Towns Co. (Trump +61, 2020) are at 92% of their final turnout in 2020, while Creighton Co. (Biden +71) are at 69% of their 2020 turnout. “is remarkable,” he said. I wrote it to X.
“We don’t know who will win in GA, only that Democrats have more work to do than Rs. to vote on the final day.”
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